Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's getting on for midnight, so we can proceed with a new Magic Monday. Ask me anything about occultism and I'll do my best to answer it. With certain exceptions, any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer. Please note:  Any question received after then will not get an answer, and in fact will just be deleted. I've been getting an increasing number of people trying to post after these are closed, so will have to draw a harder line than before.) If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 143,916th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.0 of The Magic Monday FAQ here. Also: I will not be putting through or answering any more questions about practicing magic around children. I've answered those in simple declarative sentences in the FAQ. If you read the FAQ and don't think your question has been answered, read it again. If that doesn't help, consider remedial reading classes; yes, it really is as simple and straightforward as the FAQ says. 

The image (or lack of same)? At this point I've traced Juliet Ashley's lineage back as far as photos and documentation extend. John Gilbert's other main teacher, Rev. Matthew William Shaw aka Rhodonn Starrus, is a tougher proposition. Born in Pennsylvania, he became a Universalist minister, serving in a church in the Allentown, PA area.  In 1952 he and two other ministers of the Universalist Church, Revs. Omar Zasluchy and Owen Symanski, left the church to protest the upcoming merger between their denomination and the Unitarian Church. (They believed that the Unitarians planned on taking over the congregations,  churches, and bank accounts, and then discarding every element of Universalist teaching and tradition; as it turned out, they were right.) In 1952, the three of them were duly consecrated as bishops by Bishop Robert Monroe of the Liberal Catholic Church, and founded the Universal Gnostic Church (UGC). Rev. Shaw had already founded the Modern Order of Essenes as a healing order associated with his church, and took it with him into the UGC. In 1972 he relocated to the Boulder, CO area where he became a friend and associate of Dr. Juliet Ashley, and received initiation into the orders she headed -- the Order of Spiritual Alchemy, the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn, and the Ancient Order of Druids in America -- while she became active in the Modern Order of Essenes and the Universal Gnostic Church.  John Gilbert described him as a gifted teacher but a strict taskmaster, who demanded the best from his students and usually got it. 

I have yet to find a photo of the man, or accurate information on his birth and death dates -- I gather from what John told me that he died sometime in the 1980s. I have also been unable to find much of anything about Bishop Robert Monroe of the LCC -- there were plenty of schisms in the LCC's history, and he apparently ended up on the wrong side of one of them, so he's just a name in a few old lists at this point. I hope to be able to get more information on him, on Matthew Shaw, and on the early history of the UGC as things proceed. 

I've had several people ask about tipping me for answers here, and though I certainly don't require that I won't turn it down. You can use the link above to access my online tip jar:  PayPal for now, but that'll be replaced by a couple of other options shortly. If you're interested in political and economic astrology, or simply prefer to use a subscription service to support your favorite authors, you can find my Patreon page here and my SubscribeStar page here. 

 

I've also had quite a few people over the years ask me where they should buy my books, and here's the answer. Bookshop.org is an alternative online bookstore that supports local bookstores and authors, which a certain gargantuan corporation doesn't, and I now have a shop there, which you can check out here. Please consider patronizing it if you'd like to purchase any of my books online.

And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com. 

With that said, have at it!  

***This Magic Monday is now closed -- as in, no further comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

I hope it’s alright if I share a brief update. A couple of months ago, I shared about some of the experiences I was having while DMing for my middle schooler’s D&D game. You and your gracious readers were kind enough to encourage me write about what I was seeing re: the intersection of RPGs, Jungian psychology, the occult, spirituality, parenting, and more. To that end, I’ve started a blog. I’ve put up an initial post, and hope to update it regularly:

https://thetableyoufearthemost.blogspot.com/2022/11/of-dungeons.html?m=1

I’ve left my name off the blog for now, as I work in an industry where some of what I talk about would be very much frowned upon.

I’d love to chat with anyone interested in pursuing this topic further via guest posts. And if your time permits, JMG, I’d love to interview you at some point to get your thoughts:)

Warmly,
Ryan M.

[ecosophia]

I'm delighted to see this -- and of course we can arrange an interview. Put through a comment marked "Not For Posting" sometime with an email address and we can make the arrangements.

[(Anonymous)]

This week, my theme for morning meditations was Hu Gadarn. Oxen kept wandering into my mind – Hu’s Ychen Bannog, of course. (Theories as to why they might join me for prayers and meditations are welcome, btw.) Might you point me to some reading about them? I found “The Mighty Monster Afang” in Welsh Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis over at Gutenberg.org, but I’m still looking for a commentary.
Many thanks!
Rhydlyd

[ecosophia]

I'm still looking for a commentary too! Literally the only sources I know of are Barddas and a few books of Welsh fairy tales, of which that is a good example.

Guide to Germanic Meter, Poetic Affirmations, Dolmen Arch Earth Banishing

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

To any other Americans, I hope you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving with good food and better company, and a relaxing Buy Nothing Day right after.

To Share: I've started incorporating a bit of poetry into my practice, using traditional Germanic meters. While I don't yet have real poems to share, I did write up a brief guide to using these metrical forms, which includes a few brief examples to illustrate how they work. The guide is mostly so as I write more poetry I can just link to it and say "this is what I followed", but if anyone's interested in having some fun with these forms, hopefully this can be some help: https://jpowellrussell.com/#rules_of_germanish_meter
To Ask: Two hopefully fairly quick questions this week:
1) Last week, you mentioned how writing affirmations worked some of the same skills that are helpful for poetry (concision and working with constraints, for example), and this got me wondering, as I've had poetry on the mind lately: is there any particular value in crafting affirmations as short poems (say, a single line of dactylic hexameter or a brief couplet or the like)?
2) Now that I'm working through the second grade of the Dolmen Arch, I took a look at the version of calling of the Cantrefs and associated banishings given there and have started following those wordings rather than those given in the DMH as I had been doing. I noticed that the banishing for the Fourth Cantref doesn't seem to follow the pattern for the others, and instead matches the DMH version. I came up with a version following the pattern of the first three Cantrefs, but wondered if you have any tips or tweaks:
As given in book: "And with the help of the powers of Earth, I banish from within and around me all unbalanced manifestations of Earth."
My attempt to match other 3 Cantrefs: "And with the help of the powers of Earth, I banish from within and around me and from all my doings all harmful influences and [misleading sensations], and every unbalanced expression of Earth. I banish them far away from me."

As always, thanks so much for your time and effort,
Jeff

Re: Guide to Germanic Meter, Poetic Affirmations, Dolmen Arch Earth Banishing

[ecosophia]

1) Yes. There's a fine little book called Spellcraft by Robin Skelton, long out of print, which discusses the use of verse as a source of power for for affirmations and verbal spells. Lacking that, experiment; you'll find it works well.

2) Good. Yes, that was a deliberate error. Now that you've caught it, what will you do about it?

Reincarnation of historical figures

[(Anonymous)]

If everyone reincarnates, does that mean people like Julius Ceaser may walk among us right now? Are there any known cases of people finding out they were famous historical figures in past lives?

Re: Reincarnation of historical figures

[ecosophia]

Yes, but it's rare, precisely because people like Julius Caesar are exceptional. If you were Julius Caesar in a previous life you're not going to be Joe or Jane Average in this life -- you'll still have the charisma, the political savvy, the talent for command, and the overwhelming ambition that made Julius Caesar one of the most powerful men in the world. Given those things, you'd either be famous and powerful or you'd be well on your way to that status.

The reason I stress this is that ever since reincarnation became known again in the Western world, a certain number of bland little people with bland little lives have made up for their blandness by insisting that they were famous, powerful, important people in a previous life. I've met examples of the type, and my immediate question is, "What happened? How did the soul of a famous, powerful, important person turn into such a damp little failure?"

(The late Francis King, a capable British occultist, used to say that he knew 70 different people who claimed to be the reincarnation of Aleister Crowley. He said he believed them all, because none of them had more than 1/70th of Crowley's wit and talent!)

Keep in mind also that souls don't stay around forever. Once a soul has learned all the lessons of the material plane, it goes onward to more interesting things. It's precisely the strong-willed and talented souls who are most likely to go on sooner, because strength of will and various talents are among the things life in the material world is meant to teach you.

Writing, I-Ching

[realmscryer]

Good evening JMG,
Thanks for hosting these sessions.

Questions:
1. Do you have suggestions for learning the I-Ching? Looking online I am finding various approaches.

2. A few weeks ago I asked about discursive meditation and writing. Wow! I switched from free writing and started using themes for my 15 minutes a day of writing. My ability to ask questions during regular meditation jumped a level or two. Though doing a free writing session as well as a themed session might be even better.

Now I am thinking writing fiction scenes might be a great way to help develop my imagination. What do you think?

3. How do Aikido and Wu Style Tai Chi get along energetically with Dolmen Arch practices? I think I saw in earlier posts Shintaido would be okay.

I have other questions but I keep answering them with "write about it and see what comes up!"

Observations:
This weekend I revisited the first branch of the Mabinogion. After nearly two years of the DA, kind of felt like I was reading it for the first time. Maybe with a bit more intuition? A very curious feeling.

Thanks again!

--Eric

Re: Writing, I-Ching

[ecosophia]

1) It's not something I've studied in any detail; I recall liking John Blofeld's book on the subject, but that's about all I can suggest. Anyone else?

2) It certainly worked for me.

3) Aikido works well with most Western magical practices. Any form of taijiquan, on the other hand, runs risks -- there's a lot of energetic work, not all of it obvious, and there can be problems.

[vitranc]

Good morning JMG,

1. I have been listening to your podcasts this weekend, and in your Toth Hermes interview you discuss the material requirements of your systems. At one point the topic comes to dedicated rooms. You mentioned that, should you have a basement then „you have plans“ in a voice that would befit a mad scientist or a lovecraftian wizard. :-) Might you elaborate.

1.b why the basement and not the attic? Is it better to be near the earth?

2. Somehow I have gotten myself with a lot to do in my schedule just now. Druidry+ Job + club activity + side gig. It is a demanding schedule all week long and most of the times it eats in my weekend. What could a DMH practitioner with a daily planetary devotion do to help oneself. I have prayed to Mars for will and to Saturn for concentration. Then just kept doing the practices and rounds.

Best regards, V

[ecosophia]

1) Nope. "To know, to dare, to will, and..."

2) Those are the planets I would invoke for that! Maybe Mercury also, for nimbleness.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi MM community,

I'm the one who asked for prayers last Monday regarding my baby turning in time for birth. I wanted to say thank you very much to all. My bub turned a couple of days after posting! This really is a very special place.

[milkyway1]

Awesome - that‘s great news! All the best to you and the little one! :-)

Milkyway

The body of light

[(Anonymous)]

Hello!

What is your understanding of the body of light?
Is it the next stage for humans?

Many thanks

Re: The body of light

[ecosophia]

The body of light is the body each of us will inhabit when we've finished learning the lessons of incarnation in dense matter and can move on to more interesting things. Most occult schools teach exercises to help students develop the body of light -- for example, the Middle Pillar exercise has this purpose among others. Those practices have to be combined with other forms of spiritual development, however, because the body of light alone is not enough -- the soul must achieve reflective self-consciousness and awaken on the mental plane before it can inhabit the body of light in place of a body of matter.

[lukedodson]

Hi JMG,

May I share a piece I wrote? It might be of particular interest to Heathen readers, as it is about the question of whether Yggdrasil is an ash or a yew, and what this confusion might tell us about the state of our ecosystem and culture: https://flintandsteel.substack.com/p/the-trees-that-hold-the-cosmos-together

Feedback and thoughts are welcome!

Many thanks,
Luke

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this.

Dante's "Inferno"

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Do you know if Dante Alighieri was either an occultist or was aware of some occult teachings/knowledge?

In the universe of "Inferno," the damned are able to see far into the future, but are unaware of the present, and that after Judgment Day, when there is no longer any future, the intellects of the damned will be rendered void:

“Ah, so may your soul sometime have rest,”
I begged him, “solve the riddle that pursues me
Through this dark place and leaves my mind perplexed:
You seem to see in advance all time’s intent,
If I have heard and understood correctly;
But you seem to lack all knowledge of the present.”
“We see asquint, like those whose twisted sight
Can make out only the far-off,” he said,
“for the King of All still grants us that much light.
When things draw near, or happen, we perceive
Nothing of them. Except what others bring us
We have no news of those who are alive.
So may you understand that all we know
Will be dead forever from that day and hour
When the Portal of Future is swung to.”
(Canto 10, John Ciardi translation)

I am curious if this is a singular invention by Dante, or if some occult traditions are in general agreement with the above description.

Thanks,
Eugene

Re: Dante's "Inferno"

[ecosophia]

As far as I know, that was common knowledge in Dante's time, when theology was taken far more seriously than it is today. Quite a bit of what now counts as occult philosophy was known to most if not all educated people back then -- a measure of just how far we've slid in our obsessive fixation on controlling matter.

[(Anonymous)]

Numerologicaly I am in a year of 5, and this year was pretty heavy year for me, it was an uphill battle, how to proceed further down the road in the next 5 to 6 weeks remaining and how to prepare for the next year, a year of 6.

[ecosophia]

Plan on catching your breath and having a much more pleasant year!

[(Anonymous)]

Lot of thanks to our host.

You use to keep a occult biography on ecosophia.net will that resume.?

If yes will it be an post on Jack Parsons if the biographies resume?

Are there any resources beside the two well known books on Jack Parsons?

[ecosophia]

I hope to resume the discussion of American occult history sometime, yes, and Marvell Whiteside "Jack" Parsons will certainly be part of that. Other than the biographies, I'd recommend reading Parsons' own writings, some of which are in print now.

3 etheric questions

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Three questions from me this week, all related to etheric fields:

1) There are dating websites where people are matched for dates by how much they like the smell of a set of t-shirts which have been worn by other potential partners overnight. There are various scientific theories about smell being a proxy for immune system compatibility and general health (and in fact, I think as humans, we use smell far more than is normally realised - much like piggies, if you remember my question from last week 😉), but I realised the other day that you can probably pick up on someone's residual etheric field that way too. Does this strike you as a sensible way to date someone? (Hypothetically - I'm married!) And how much do etheric fields dictate our partner preferences?

2) Cast iron pots and pans should pretty much never be washed 'properly' in soapy water, they just continue to season when cooking with fats and oils. Assuming that you only cook nice things in them (read: not cooking meth), then does a little bit of the residual etheric energy remain in the pan, ready to go into subsequent meals, as iron is a good etheric conductor? (not to mention some iron ions leaching out, preventing anaemia) If so, think of the energy of a cast iron pan passed down through multiple generations! A chicken soup made in that could work miracles!

3) Strange question, but what do Fae and demons eat? In Monsters, you said there are etheric larvae who are scavengers feasting on etheric remains, but do Fae eat larvae, or get their energy from trees, rivers or the sun? (hence restricting their habitats to places where those are abundant) And I know we know little of the demonic realm generally, but do demons actually 'eat' human souls who've had the misfortune/stupidity to end up there, or in some other way feed on the energy from causing suffering? (or do they just do that for their enjoyment?)

Thanks,
Mr. Crow

Re: 3 etheric questions

[ecosophia]

1) Etheric fields determine sexual compatibility; astral bodies determine emotional compatibility. That's why those two are not necessarily found in the same person!

2) Iron is a good etheric conductor, meaning that it doesn't store etheric energy -- the energy flows out through it. The patina that bulds up on a good cast iron pan is another matter, and yes, it can hold etheric charges.

3) We don't know. Seriously, we don't know.

[(Anonymous)]

This is what I found on Rev Shaw. I did a search of the US census and WW2 draft cards and he wasn't under Matthew William Shaw which is why he can't be found. But if he really did serve as a Chaplain, I can find him and what his birth name was. Those military records are difficult to get, but possible. What else do you know about him? Did he marry? Was he born in Pennsylvania or just headed a church there?

Matthew William Shaw

(Rhodonn Starrus)
(1905-1997)

Bishop of the Universal Gnostic Church.

Reverend Shaw was ordained as a Universalist Minister on October 23, 1942 and served as a Chaplain with the U.S. Army during World War Two. He founded Universal Seminary in 1952 and joined the Universal Gnostic Church founded by the Apostles Omar Zasluchy and Owen Symanski in 1952 when the Universalist Church merged with the Unitarian Church that same year. Reverend Starrus moved the Universal Seminary to Boulder, Colorado in 1972. He served as President of Universal Seminary from September 1952 until his death.

Reverend Shaw was elevated to the rank of Apostle by Apostle Symanski, who was then Presiding Apostle of the Universal Gnostic Church on December 23, 1974 and took upon himself the ecclesiastical name of Rhodonn Starrus at that time. (The title “Apostle” has since been replaced by the title “Bishop.”)

[ecosophia]

Yes, I found that bio also! I don't know his birthdate or birthplace, and I have no idea whether he married or not. What I posted was most of what I know about him.

Exercises and Health issues

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG, I'm 50 years old and starting my studies in the occult. I have some health problems like high blood pressure and arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation) but both are controlled by medication. I would like to know if the study and practice of exercises like The Middle Pillar, Lessing Banishing Pentagram, Sphere of Protection or similar can bring any complications or worsen these health issues.

Kind Regards.

Re: Exercises and Health issues

[ecosophia]

The Sphere of Protection should be entirely safe for you. Intensive ritual magic -- the sort of thing that's covered in books on the Golden Dawn system, for example -- can be problematic for anyone with heart troubles, so I don't recommend you take up any system that requires a lot of ritual magic. Among my books, Circles of Power, The Celtic Golden Dawn, and The Mysteries of Merlin are probably not good choices for you, but the others should be fine.

Self reflection and mental distress

[(Anonymous)]

I suffered from terrible mental health through covid lockdowns (like many). Severe intrusive thoughts, general lethargy, the works (and no, I do not usually suffer from such things). However, thanks to what I've learned from your teachings, I was able to keep it fairly well together, whereas some people I know are still deteriorating. I literally found part of myself, presumably the will, able to identify that I wasn't my mind, which was losing it. Since then, I have recovered, but no, I am not the same.

My take is that once your regular mind (presumably your middle and lower astral parts) starts to realise your higher bodies are developing (and I think during a crisis, your mental body likely gets a severe workout, however poorly structured it may be), it plays up. I've undertaken some experiments (no, I don't recommend them), where I can sort of withdraw into my mental bodies, and I find, yes, my normal mind starts running back to the same bad old places (the 'imp of the perverse' is a good phrase to describe it).

My theory is that mental distress - whilst controlled - is worse if you are witnessing it from a higher body. Of course, it's worse for you, not others, because you've got it under control. Self-reflection, at least for me through this experience wasn't fun at all, because I realised just how much crap hides in the shadow. But at least I realised it.

I suspect the watcher/dweller on the threshold comes from a similar place?

Re: Self reflection and mental distress

[ecosophia]

That's an important part of what's going on. Another factor is that the astral planes were a seething mess during the lockdowns; some of what you were experiencing wasn't from inside your own head. Things aren't much better at present, for that matter.

stoic virtues and directions?

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

Been wondering about whether stoic cardinal virtues might be associated with cardinal directions. Have not had much luck finding any information online - maybe not searching for the correct search string, but anyway, have mainly been thinking on the matter.
After much to-ing and fro-ing in mind (i.e. since trying to map them like that could be fools errand), I'm currently considering:

East to give birth to courage and fortitude/resilience
South for self control/temperance
West to be Just and have right relationship with all things and beings
North to find intuition/wisdom

I'm in 4+ minds...
a) attempting such a mapping could be useful or a fools errand
b) the associations above are a decent effort
c) the associations above are just plain wrong
d) a wiser one than I might know the truth of the matter

1. Do you know if the stoic virtues were traditionally assigned or associated with directions?

2. If no, might I ask your opinion on the associations above?

Many thanks

[earthworm]

Re: stoic virtues and directions?

[ecosophia]

Good! It has been a standard practice in many occult schools to instruct each student to meditate on the four cardinal virtues and figure out for himself or herself which elements, directions, etc. corresponds to each of the four virtues. There are, iirc, 24 possible ways to assign the virtues to the elements/directions, and a good case can be made for every single one of them. So you've done a useful exercise.

[(Anonymous)]

Does the cabalistic lore give or suggest any relationship between the veil crossing the tree at Daath and the triple veil above Kether?

[ecosophia]

No. As I understand it, each of the barriers across the Tree -- the Veil of the Sanctuary below Tiphareth, the Abyss at Daath, and the three Veils of the Unmanifest above Kether -- are unique, and the skills that will get you past one of them will not work on the other two. Since the upper two are quite literally incomprehensible to the human mind at its current stage of evolution, I wouldn't worry about either one yet; getting through the Veil of the Sanctuary is three incarnations' worth of work, more than enough to keep all of us busy.

[(Anonymous)]

Is there any danger from long-term exposure to a hostile egregore? I'm a white guy in a woke corporate environment and while most individual humans there are perfectly polite-- "the organization" as both a corporate and spiritual entity really doesn't seem to want my kind. By which I mean race/gender/vaccination status/religiosity/class background. Nothing about me fits the mold there. (This shift in the egregor has been happening slowly for years but I got a break from it during The Great Sniffle and saw just how boiled my frog was when I got back.)

Is a regular protection ritual like SOP enough (do I need to do it at my cubical!?), or is this really a case of "don't go where you aren't wanted" and I need to look for something else to hold body and soul together? (It's that phrase that worries me, to be honest. How can one expect working to 'hold soul together' when working in an environment that hates them?)

[(Anonymous)]

Not JMG and I want to throw out this question - why would you spend your precious life's energy and time with an organization that hates you?

There is a group of men who formed a group to help other men leave corporate work and create a new life. It's called Exit Group https://exitgroup.us They have a podcast so you can check them out before getting further involved.

[(Anonymous)]

Could you please spell out a bit what it means in practical terms to "raise your vibrations" in as far as getting to be attuned to better parts of the astral plane, ie. how to do it?

The metaphor doesn't really work for me right now. I don't get it.

[ecosophia]

"Your vibrations" is a slang term for the basic tone and quality of your consciousness; your ordinary emotional tone is part of that, and for most people, it's the part that's easiest to sense. Are you normally happy, or sad, or angry, or tense and guarded, or depressed, or what? That's one good guide to your current vibe.

We experience the astral plane in part through our emotions. The more bitter, miserable, and angry your emotional state, the further down the astral you are. The more bright, expansive, and joyous your emotional state, the higher you are. That doesn't mean that you should pretend to be happier than you are! Your vibe is what it is; regular practice of spiritual disciplines will change it gradually over time. If you're bitter. miserable, and angry, in other words, accept that: that's the reality you have to deal with right now. Get to work on the practices, and let it change over time.

[(Anonymous)]

In the SoP and MP you imagine a beam of light coming straight down through the head and body. If a sentient quadruped wanted to do a similar ritual, their anatomy wouldn't line up as conveniently, so what path would the light take?

[ecosophia]

If I was asked to teach a sentient dog, say, how to do the SoP, I've have it face east and imagine the sun rising on the eastern horizon, and then imagine the beam of light from the rising sun running along the midline of its body all the way from tip of nose to tip of tail. The rest of the ritual would be reoriented accordingly.

[(Anonymous)]

Last week you said an operative mage has to do a lot more than just a daily banishing ritual, meditation, and divination. So what would a week in the life of an operative mage look like? (or longer if it makes more sense to explain it that way)

[ecosophia]

I can outline it in terms of a single day.

First thing in the morning after rising, half an hour of daily practices.

During the day, wherever time permits, some other magical working, whether that consists of a ceremony or some other practice. This is the place to put major rituals, alchemy, or what have you; assume an hour or two for this.

At some other point during the day -- after dinner works well for this -- intensive study of magical and occult texts. An hour for this is good.

Last thing at night before going to bed, another (different) set of daily practices. There are certain meditations, workings for spiritual development, etc. that are best done daily, as a separate working from the basic daily practices. Late in the evening is a good time for those. Another half hour, say.

All in all, three to four hours a day, every day -- roughly as much time as your average American spends watching the television...

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG
Over the years my internal clock has varied between night-owl and early-bird.
Currently I'm looking to swap back to early-bird and am trying to wrap words into something layered so that immediately on waking, at it's most prosaic, it is a prompt to get out of bed, but also encapsulates the potential for more.

By the grace of the divine
I am
Here
In gratitude and awe
May the virtues be the stepping stones
To do what needs to be done
Now
Arise

Then again, maybe too flowery and I should get my head out of my backside and go with Sgt Apone from Aliens:

All right sweethearts, what are you waiting for, breakfast in bed?
Another glorious day in the corps.
A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm.
Every meal is a banquet.
Every paycheck a fortune.
Every formation a parade.
I LOVE the corps!
Alright sweethearts, you heard the man and you know the drill!
A**holes and elbows!

Since it is a matter of Will, maybe a simple affirmation might suffice, or I could simply go with 'get up' as soon as I wake, but that doesn't engender either the energy states or the focus to action.

Basically I am trying to change patterns of habits to be more adaptable/flexible to a world in flux.
You have written before about replacing one thing (habit) with another so that there is not a void; but as we head into the darkness of winter and what looks like some extraordinary times, the desire to hibernate is there but this feels like a time of quiet action not hibernation.

Recent years seem almost designed to fragment attention and put people in a mental funk.
Sorry - this is a probably a request for entire essay not a Magic Monday question, but any brief thoughts most welcome!

Seems like there are thrust-blocks aplenty and of many sizes and flavours; obviously personal spiritual practice/work is the answer, but what advice is there from the occult classics on maintaining dynamic equilibrium in times of seeming confusion and chaos?

It is a theme I have been meditating on! ;)

Thank you.
[earthworm]

[ecosophia]

1) The best affirmation is the one that works for you. Either of the options you suggest might be great, or might not be great, depending on how they affect you at six in the morning.

2) The occult classics don't really talk much about that, because every age has been a time of confusion and chaos. That's the nature of life in the material world. The advice of the occult tradition is always the same: maintain your practices, do your best to maintain an even keel, and when you lose your balance -- as you will -- recover it as soon as you can and keep on going.

Weekly Queries

[denebalgedi777]

Some questions/comments:

1. You said recently that GD wasn't an ideal path for you, and divination indicated to me that it isn't for me either (GS/FHR looks much more favorable). What kind of person is GD ideal for?

2. If divination is about developing intuition, why is it that people continue to use it even after being occultists and developing their intuitive capacities for decades?

3. Reflecting on your experience seeing people change their ideals on a dime (e.g. appropriate tech in the '80s, or over the recent jabs), does this not strike you as some kind of egregore or group mind phenomenon, albeit one where consciousness degrades or devolves rather than ascends?

I would agree with your contention that the problem now is not weak or shallow thinking, it's no thinking at all. Malign enchantment seems a fine description of it.

And a comment:

4. I used the numerology posts from early this year as a basis for meditations on past years. It turns out this year for me personally is a 7 year, and therefore so too were 2013 and 2004. Interestingly, these were all years of major difficulties for me, and also major turning points in my life. This has been the least difficult 7 year I can fully remember, but possibly that is because I've tried to learn from it and have done much more to refrain from willingly partaking of bad karma, harmful actions, etc. Still, it has been a year of obstacles, delays and worries -- fitting for the number of Saturn. I expect to come out of it with a renewed focus and sense of purpose.

That is to say, the numerology oracle is quite useful in my case. Thanks!

Deneb/Tangerine Translucent Stoat

Re: Weekly Queries

[ecosophia]

1) I have no idea how to answer this, because there isn't some easily definable detail that makes you well suited to GD work. Some people just are, and some just aren't.

2) Do weightlifters stop lifting weights once they've developed big muscles?

3) It's some kind of malign phenomenon of collective consciousness, that's for sure.

4) TSW!

[(Anonymous)]

Archdruid,

If you feel this isn't appropriate for a Magic Monday post, please delete. I will admit this is more along the lines of your actual blog (and I'll be making a request to post this there this Wed on the Open Post as well).

In response to your talking about using our writing skills, I've started a substack. I've named it The Long Descent ( thelongdescent.substack.com ) and I've been trying to write once a week about my attempts to collapse now and the struggles and successes I have had doing so. The articles are short (I cannot seem to get the hang of writing anything of length yet) and cover a bunch of topics. I haven't written about my spiritual journey yet (the most Magic Monday of them) but it's coming, along with a host of others.

I thought the topics discussed there might be of interest to those who read Magic Monday. This is my attempt to help create another space where we can share ideas about what collapsing now actually means, and since your commentariat are the best around, I'd love to get their eyes and comments on it! Hopefully we can learn from each other.

Thank you for all you do.

Trubrujah - David

[ecosophia]

Delighted to hear it; I hope it goes well.